Lincolnshire public could share dashcam footage with police under new project

Published:10:52Monday 06 November 2017

A ground-breaking project that allows the public to share dashcam footage so police can investigate driving offences could soon be launched in Lincolnshire.

Operation Snap was launched two years ago in Wales to allow drivers to upload video evidence to a special secure website so officers can examine the footage. The website now has 30 videos a week uploaded – with two per cent of cases resulting in prosecutions and many others receiving written warnings from police - and the system saves around 12 hours of police work per case.

The project was highlighted in Lincolnshire’s first ever Road Safety Summit held in Grantham on Friday (November 3).

The 100 delegates at the summit, organised by the Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones and the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, were also told that 80 per cent of people injured on the county’s roads lived locally – one of the highest percentages in the UK.

Other innovations highlighted at the conference included a project run in Stockholm using fines from traffic offences to fund a prize draw for drivers identified as sticking to speed limits.

Minister of Transport, John Hayes MP, told the audience that autonomous vehicles may represent “the biggest contribution to road safety we have ever seen”.

Mr Hayes is currently guiding the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill through Parliament, and said insurers had already indicated that automated cars will reduce accidents by 90 percent.

Deputy Chief Constable Craig Naylor, who is chair of the LRSP, told the delegates that it was crucial to focus on the four pillars of engineering, education, enforcement and evaluation.

“Evaluation is often forgotten but is critical to success. We have limited resources and must make sure we focus on the most effective solutions,” he said.

The summit was also used to launch the new enhanced Community Speed Watch Scheme.

Under the scheme residents will be given appropriate training and radar guns to check the speed of passing motorists. Drivers caught speeding by the volunteers will be sent a warning letter and road safety advice, with repeat offenders getting a visit from police.

“The summit has been a great success,” said Mr Jones.

“I am very confident the event has been a huge step forward in better understanding the issues and challenges that we face but, more importantly, some great ideas about how we might tackle them.

“Now all the partners involved need to process the wealth of information and ideas presented and put together a comprehensive and cogent plan to keep our road users safe.

“It will be important for us to keep in focus the fact that every road death we eliminate from the work done as a result of the summit will save a family from terrible suffering.”